A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Wang Yu’s Rebirth as the Reincarnation Dao Ancestor - Chapter 12

Chapter 12 guides Doctor Mo to realize that Zhang Tie possesses spiritual roots.

After much contemplation, Han Li still couldn’t find a good excuse to protect Zhang Tie.

“Companionship?”

It worked half a year ago, but not now.

This tactic was largely ineffective.

Even if he stayed by Zhang Tie’s side while squatting in the outhouse, he couldn’t dispel Doctor Mo’s murderous intent after weighing the pros and cons.

“Pleading for mercy?”

That would only expose himself and put him in danger.

He didn’t want to take some secret “Corpse Worm Pill.”

“Poisoning Mo Juren to solve the problem once and for all?”

The idea was good, but Mo Juren was a renowned physician who was extremely careful with his daily diet; Han Li didn’t have the opportunity or the ability.

“Then…”

“Escape?”

As the saying goes: As long as the green hills remain, there’s always firewood to burn.

Unfortunately, it was also… a case of lofty ideals meeting harsh reality. If he could tear away Mo Juren’s hypocritical facade, expose his sinister intentions in training them as fellow disciples, and then make Zhang Tie obey him, everything would be fine.

But he couldn’t do that.

He couldn’t produce any substantial evidence that Doctor Mo harbored ill intentions towards his fellow disciples.

Besides, if Zhang Tie really escaped, how long could Tiezi’s family hide safely?

He had no doubt about Doctor Mo’s ruthlessness and determination once he set his mind on killing.

Moreover, this doctor was Wang Lu’s savior, a guest elder of the Seven Mysteries Sect, and the personal physician of the sect leader and hall masters—he still had some influence. He could easily accuse Zhang Tie of something, like stealing a martial arts manual and fleeing, and the Seven Mysteries Sect’s higher-ups would mobilize a large number of people to hunt down Zhang Tie’s family, thus giving Doctor Mo, this valuable divine physician, a satisfactory result and explanation.

Tiezi, although a medicine boy of Elder Mo of Divine Hand Valley, was ultimately recommended by a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect’s outer sect. In the end, he was still a member of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

“…”

After much thought,

just when he was at his wit’s end, he suddenly thought of the cultivation aptitude.

Immediately,

a flash of inspiration struck him.

“Yes, spiritual root aptitude…”

Zhang Tie wasn’t a truly ordinary person without spiritual roots.

He possessed the aptitude for cultivation,

even surpassing Han Li’s.

He simply lacked suitable foundational techniques to guide his entry into the cultivation world.

“If, if Doctor Mo realized that Zhang Tie also possessed spiritual roots, what choice would he make?”

Would he abandon his main account and start a secondary one?

Or would he hedge his bets?

Or would he remain unmoved and continue to single-mindedly nurture him?

Three choices.

The consequences would certainly be different.

“If Zhang Tie is also confirmed to possess spiritual roots, I fear things will become even more dangerous for me…”

Han Li muttered to himself, sitting cross-legged in the room.

His expression shifted between light and shadow.

Undoubtedly, watching Zhang Tie be refined into a corpse puppet would at least grant him a year and a half of peace, just like in the book. This was very tempting.

However,

a year and a half later, he would lack Zhang Tie as a natural ally, while Doctor Mo would gain a powerful corpse puppet.

At that time, his situation would only worsen.

Therefore…

Before Doctor Mo makes his move, Zhang Tie had better remain safe and sound, and ideally, he and Li Feiyu should both make great progress in their martial arts.

“Zhang Tie, Zhang Tie, I’ve gone to great lengths to buy you more time to cultivate.”

“You must repay my great kindness in the future.”

…

The following days passed.

Everything in Divine Hand Valley remained the same.

The three of them didn’t have any unpleasantness because of what happened a few days ago.

On this very day, Han Li found an opportunity to meet with Doctor Mo.

After inquiring about his medical questions, he suddenly wore a dejected expression.

The old man, engrossed in reading the Longevity Scripture in his armchair, frowned slightly upon seeing this:

“Han Li, what’s wrong with you looking so dejected?”

“Master Mo, I’m puzzled. What was the point of all this painstaking practice of this nameless incantation? Why does it seem so ineffective in my hands, given how highly you value it? Is it because I’m too useless?” Han Li replied, looking dejected and aggrieved.

“Why are you so self-deprecating?”

Mo Juren asked, sighing inwardly.

In truth, he had long anticipated this doubt from his disciple and had been waiting for it. The fact that the young man remained silent was unusual.

Of course, while he had “anticipated” it, he didn’t have a good excuse or reason to explain.

Because the real problem lay with him.

Because he hadn’t taught his disciple the immortal arts.

In other words…

It wasn’t that Han Li was useless, but rather that what he taught his disciple was a castrated version of himself.

Seeing Doctor Mo lost in thought, Han Li pressed on:

“Master Mo, as you know, half a year ago I was beaten up by Zhang Changgui and other inner disciples of my age, and they scolded me. They laughed at me, saying that although I was a disciple of the Seven Mysteries Sect, I didn’t even know a shred of martial arts. I couldn’t stand it, so I gritted my teeth and endured the pain to cultivate the Elephant Armor Technique, making myself tough and thick-skinned, so at least I wouldn’t be afraid of being beaten up anymore.”

“Hmm, you’re quite good.”

Doctor Mo nodded, giving his disciple considerable recognition.

In his opinion, Han Li, a teenager, like Zhang Tie, showed a level of endurance and pain that even surpassed many adults. Combined with his possession of spiritual roots, this truly made him look at him with even greater admiration.

“But Elder Mo, this shouldn’t be. You undoubtedly value the Nameless Mantra more. Logically, the Nameless Mantra should be more powerful than the Elephant Armor Technique, but why is it completely useless in my hands?” Han Li bit his lip as he spoke. “Could it be that there are other intricacies to cultivating this technique? Otherwise, why can I cultivate it, but my senior brother can’t?”

Is Zhang Tie really unable to cultivate immortality because he lacks spiritual roots?

“The Nameless Mantra does indeed have other intricacies, but I can’t explain them precisely, since I wasn’t the one who created this Nameless Mantra.”

The old man didn’t deliberately avoid mentioning this point.

“Ah? There really are other intricacies? Then… Master Mo, since there are such gentle, nameless incantations in the world, are there corresponding fierce and domineering methods? Just like the different attributes of many techniques within the sect. Some techniques are of the cold attribute, producing yin-cold internal energy, and the practitioner should ideally have special innate talent. While some techniques are of the yang attribute, producing yang-fiery internal energy…”

Han Li paused here.

On the grand master’s chair, Mo Juren put down the black-covered Longevity Scripture in his hand: “Many techniques do indeed have attributes, requiring suitable people to cultivate them…”

Huh? Wait a minute.

Why does this sound a bit off?

However, he couldn’t quite figure out the implications of what he was saying.

Han Li, seeing that the guiding effect had been achieved, didn’t say anything more, but respectfully bowed and took his leave.

After he left, leaving only one person in the room, Doctor Mo suddenly spoke:

“You, surnamed Yu, have you been hiding many things from me?”

A voice, not his own, quickly rang out from Doctor Mo: “How could I? Why would I hide anything from you? We’re in a symbiotic relationship now, and we’ve both sworn oaths with our parents and other relatives.”

“Then tell me, what attribute is the Everlasting Spring Technique?”

“It’s a wood attribute technique.” “The five elements:

metal, wood, water, fire, and earth?”

“Of course.” “

And what about spiritual roots?”

“That’s a long story…”

“Then try to be as brief as possible. Besides, I have plenty of patience to listen.”

Doctor Mo snorted coldly.

He hated Yu’s superstitious nonsense, and he hated Yu’s arrogant attitude as a cultivator.

So what if he’s a mortal without spiritual roots?

You call yourself a superior cultivator, yet you still fell into the hands of a mortal like him.

“Spiritual roots are actually divided into the five elements. Only those who possess the corresponding spiritual root attribute can cultivate the immortal techniques of that attribute…” For example, the Everlasting Spring Technique is a wood-attribute technique, so only those with a wood-attribute spiritual root can cultivate it. Otherwise, all efforts are in vain.

Yu Zitong reluctantly shared what he knew about spiritual roots.

After hearing this, Doctor Mo’s face gradually darkened:

“So, those children who cultivated this technique but didn’t develop true qi might not necessarily lack spiritual roots, right?”

Uh…!

Yu Zitong: “…”

“You, surnamed Yu, what exactly are you up to?” Mo Juren was furious.

He was gritting his teeth.

(End of Chapter)